Believe it or not, UFC 137 will go on without Georges St. Pierre. When news came from Dana White that GSP had injured his knee and was pulling out of his fight with Carlos Condit, I immediately began to hear from “fans” that this card now “sucked.” These “fans” would even go so far as to say the card should be moved to Spike and shown for free. Are we looking at the same card?
One of the great things about the UFC is that a PPV event isn’t ruined if a fighter in the main event can’t fight. Today’s pool of UFC fighters is so deep that each card can still hold it’s $55 value even without the scheduled main event. Yes, GSP is out, but let’s take a look at what we have coming up on October 29th:
Main Event: BJ Penn vs. Nick Diaz
BJ is coming off a less than exciting draw with Jon Fitch. Previous to that, he had a knockout win over a fading Matt Hughes and two decision losses to Frankie Edgar. It has been nearly two years since BJ’s last impressive victory, which was over Diego Sanchez at UFC 107.
Nick Diaz hasn’t lost a fight since 2007, but he hasn’t been competing against the UFC roster for four years. There were times during his last fight against Paul Daley where I thought he was going down, only to turn things around in that one round fight and score the TKO.
BJ is only 32 years old, but I get the sense he is on his way out. Although Diaz is a loose cannon, at 28 years old, he is finally back in the spotlight of the UFC and this is his time to shine.
PICK: Nick Diaz by TKO (2nd Round)
Cheick Kongo vs. Matt Mitrione
Kongo recently completed one of the greatest comebacks in the history of the UFC. In the first round against Pat Barry, he was being knocked all over the place. At one point, he looked like a slinky in the octagon. Somehow he pulled it together and knocked out Barry in dramatic fashion. If you still have the fight on your DVR, play it in slow-mo and watch the expression of the Octagon Girls as Kongo completes the knockout; it is classic.
Is there anybody in the UFC more surprising than Matt Mitrione? The way he has gone from a goof on TUF 10, to what appears to be a refined MMA fighter in such a short time is astonishing. Matt is now 5-0 in the UFC but is fighting a “name” for the first time.
If this fight is classified as a “Co-Main Event” then we may be in store for one of the most unique stare downs we’ll ever see. Cheick Kongo has one of the deadliest stares, and Matt Mitrione is always smiling, the combination of the two will make for a good laugh. As far as the fight goes, I think it comes down to who has the toughest chin. Although Kongo did come back and win against Barry, he sure did go down initially like a ton of bricks.
PICK: Matt Mitrione by TKO (2nd Round)
Mirko Filipovic vs. Roy Nelson
Cro Cop jumped into the UFC with much fanfare in 2007. Since then, he has compiled a record of 4-5 in the Octagon. Interestingly enough, he’s also had three fights outside of the UFC during this time and is 2-0 with 1 NC. For one reason or another, he isn’t consistent in the UFC. He is coming off KO losses to Brendan Schaub (UFC 128), and Frank Mir (UFC 119).
Big Country is carrying a 2-2 UFC record heading into this fight and he needs to win badly. While Roy has lost his last two fights, they have been against top tier opponents (Frank Mir, Junior Dos Santos) and he didn’t get knocked out or submitted.
Big Country may be sending Cro Cop out of the UFC Saturday night. I do think Roy can win by knockout, but both fighters may be near the top of the UFC cut list, and this could result in them dancing around more than usual.
PICK: Roy Nelson by Unanimous Decision
The Rest of the Card:
Brad Tavares vs. Dustin Jacoby (PPV)
Hatsu Hioki vs. George Roop (PPV)
Dennis Siver vs. Donald Cerrone (Spike)
Tyson Griffin vs. Bart Palaszewski (Spike)
Scott Jorgensen vs. Jeff Curran (Facebook)
Brandon Vera vs. Eliot Marshall (Facebook)
Ramsey Nijem vs. Danny Downes (Facebook)
Chris Camozzi vs. Francis Carmont (Facebook)
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